50 Airport TRAVEL HACKS for 2024 ✈️ (MUST-KNOW Flying Tips)

Here's a rapid fire list of clever airport hacks and mistakes to avoid that'll cause big problems on your trip. Let's go. Snap a quick photo of your parking spot or no it's location so you don't forget when you come back and you can find your car. Don't tell my wife, but whenever I talk to these ladies right here, I always flirt and smile and I'm extra nice and I tell them, by the way, I am the best emergency exit role helper in the entire world. And so if you need help, I can help you. This has helped me almost 50% of the time get a free upgrade to the emergency exit seat, which has extra legroom. Taxis from the airport can be extra expensive. So find a free airport shuttle to take you to a nearby hotel and then take your Uber or taxi from there. If you have to check in at the airport, always first try to use these self check-in kiosk thingies before you go into the actual check-in counters because one, it could be way faster and you won't have to wait in line and two, you're less likely to have to pay fees if you're overweight or something. Wear your heaviest clothes and even layer up your clothes if you need to to avoid overweight luggage fees at the check-in counter. You can also use a fanny pack, a neck pillow that you stuff with clothes or one of these cool vests that has like a million pockets on the inside. If you need more space, just make sure when you're in the check-in counter that you're not making an obvious and you kind of hide it and flip it around you or something. If you're still overweight and someone dropped you off at the airport or you're traveling with a friend, you can have them stand by some of your stuff outside of the line while you go through the check-in line. And if you do all these tips and you're still overweight before you lose hope, try weighing your luggage on different scales because I've heard reports of some of the scales not being calibrated correctly just so the airlines can charge more for overweight fees. This is why it's handy to travel with one of those luggage scales because you can know ahead of time how much weight is in each bag, how much clothes you should wear and all of that before you get to the airport so you're not stressed and scrambling around to rearrange things. If your ticket comes with extra luggage that you don't really need, one thing you can do is pack everything in your carry on bag and then check an empty check bag just in the hopes that maybe it gets delayed and then the airlines will basically give you a free shopping spree. There's also travel credit cards and insurances that cover delayed baggage, but before you go on your shopping spree, just make sure to read the terms to make sure that you'll get reimbursed. If you're traveling in the winter where there's likely to be a tons of different delays, it's a good idea to use a credit card that offers trip delay insurance. And so that if a bunch of flights get canceled for some reason, like a snowstorm, then you can get covered. For example, one of my credit cards that I use gives $500 up to $500 if your trip is delayed over six hours. The airlines normally cover trip delays, but they have an exception if it's due to weather. But these credit card companies normally they don't have this exception. I'll link some of the best options below. Don't hang around these luggage carousels for long after you pick up your bags because the longer you're around here, the more likely the airport security is going to ask you to search all your stuff. This happened to me when I was waiting for my wife to go to the bathroom. They pulled me back and searched all of our bags. She had a bunch of bottles of random creams. I didn't know what they were. And so I was just answering the guy who was asking me what they were. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I couldn't contact my wife and it just looks super suspicious. So another tip is to not guard someone else's bags around these luggage carousels. Even if it's your travel partner, why'd they go to the bathroom? If your checked luggage doesn't arrive, go to the counter and report it as soon as possible before you leave the airport because some airlines have limits to how long you have to make a claim. And so you need to do it right away so you can get reimbursed. If you're thinking about traveling with a bunch of gear, make sure to look up on the country's website, the customs, how much you can take in without having to pay taxes. One time I had a new computer and my old computer entering Mexico and they made me pay a bunch of taxes. Dumb. Sometimes they even consider an iPad as a computer. And so if you had a computer and an iPad, dumb, you're screwed. Always make your checked luggage unique. Somehow you can put a sticker on it like I did or colored tape or even better buy one of those luggage covers because not only does it make it look unique, but it also protects it from damage and makes it harder for sneaky fingers to get in and unzip the zippers. You can also add a layer of security against luggage theft by putting on zip ties on your zippers, those twisty tie bread thingies or even like key rings that you put your key chains on. Just remember that those TSA locks are not approved worldwide and even where they are approved, a lot of times they still get cut off and your zippers get broken. It's really helpful to put one of those air tags or tile GPS trackers inside of your checked luggage, maybe hidden somewhere. So it's easy to find if it gets lost. It's super handy to put care beaners on every single one of your bags. You can clip stuff to the outside if you ever need extra room or if you want easy access to things or if you have to sleep in the airport, you can clip your bags together or clip it to something solid so that it's harder to steal. If you're sleeping, if you need to sleep in the airport, check out the sleeping in airports website, which will show you the parts of each airport that are quiet and safe for sleeping. When going through airport security, instead of putting all of your valuables in the bin, all loosey goosey, try to put them in some sort of zipped pocket in a fanny pack or in a jacket pocket or something so that it prevents sneaky figures from grabbing your stuff. It also just makes things more efficient to have everything all together. If you have metal in your body or you know you need to get searched for some region, have your travel partner go through first so that they can watch the stuff in the bins while you're getting padded down. What's your best TSA tip? If you come to the airport, make sure you listen to the officer that's giving you directions because every airport has different machines. So if you're not listening, it's going to delay the process for you and you get searched and stressed and yeah, so never make assumptions. Exactly. Try to always use easy slip on shoes and don't wear too much jewelry. That would be a pain to take off or clothes that has a bunch of metal in it or something. All of this will make the TSA process way easier. Americans can sign up for TSA pre-check or global entry to speed up the entire airport process. You can also use apps like my TSA and flight aware to check how long the security lines are before you get to the airport. You might even find that arriving to a different terminal and then walking from there to your gate is faster. If the line is shorter in that other term, I like always using a jacket with zipper pockets when I'm flying because if it gets cold on a plane, you have a flight, you can cram everything in there and stay organized while you're going through security. If it's packable, you can even use it as a pillow on the plane if you want. It's just super multifunctional and I always travel with either there's a vest or a rain jacket. If you have an iPhone, the easiest way for you and other people to track your flights is to just send an iMessage with your flight number. It'll automatically turn into a link. You can click on it and then look for flight information and it'll give you updated information on your flights. It's also a good idea to always download the airlines app that you're flying with because they can also provide these updates. So you know that you're at the right gate. If your gate changes and sometimes they even have maps of the entire airport that'll help you find things easier. Some airline apps like Qatar, for example, even have like 360 degree images of the inside of their planes. And so when you're choosing your seat, you can see what it actually looks like on the plane in real life. Some airline apps suck though, which is why I also recommend downloading Google maps offline onto your phone because you can use the maps and you can navigate all around the airport and see what restaurants there are, where is there a pharmacy, where everything is, how to get to your gate. And if you have it offline, then you won't need to worry if you don't have service or if there's no wifi. Be careful where you're plugging in your devices to charge because in these public charging ports, sometimes scammers will like tamper with them and put viruses in there. And so it's better just to always have your own power bank before getting into some even juicier tips. I'm making another video on quick hacks for when you're actually on the plane. Make sure to subscribe and hit the bell if you want to get notified for that. If you need wifi, you can also use the wifi map app to get usernames and passwords for different wifi networks around the airport, but just always be careful what you do on public wifi. I always make sure that I'm using a VPN and I'll link to a huge discount on the one I use below. Avoid using the first restroom after your flight, because that's the restroom everyone's going to go to. It's going to be super busy and dirty. So just walk a little bit extra and go to the next restaurant. The number one thing that has made air travel way more fun for me is when I was able to start going to the lounges because I opened a credit card that includes lounge access all around the world. It's a total game changer because you no longer wait to the last second to go to the airport. You want to get there early so you can spend more time in the lounge. And when you go earlier, that means if something bad happens then you're not stressed all running around at the last second. I'll show you what this lounge looks like in a second, but if you do get this card, another hack is to get an authorized user for this card because then you get even more free guests to the lounges. I think each person can bring two guests. So that's a total of six people that get free access. Always, always, always pack snacks in your personal item. Even if you have lounge access, because you never know if the lounge is going to be closed or if it's going to be full or if something's going to hold you up and you won't have time to eat in the lounge. Having snacks with you also in the plane itself is nice. If they're not serving a meal, if you're super hungry, there's nothing worse than being hungry and hangry while you're on a long trip. You can also use the mobile passport app to speed through customs faster. When you return to the U S it doesn't require preapproval or anything. You just need to download the app and fill in your information. If your flight gets canceled or delayed or you have any problems at all, make sure to immediately look up what your rights are for compensation and things like that. I have a full video that explains everything about this that you can watch next. If you want, you can also use the air help app. If you need to make a claim for reimbursement and you don't know how to do it, I'll put a discount code down below noise, canceling headphones, or even just normal earplugs can make a huge difference in your experience, both in the airport and in the plane. A lot of people use over the ear headphones, which are nice, but when you're on the plane, it makes it a little bit harder to sleep. Take a lot of long flights. They also sell these Bluetooth adapters that you can plug into the entertainment systems on the plane so that you can use your own nice headphones while you're watching movies and things. It's really only makes sense if you're taking a lot of long flights though. If you ever do go to a lounge, always ask the registration desk people here, how long it takes to walk to your gate. Because a lot of times people stay in the lounges until the last second. And then they try to run over to their gate and they realize there was like an extra weird security that they have to pass through. And then they can be late for the flight priority pass. Lounges inside of the U S tend to get a little bit busy because a lot of people have these travel credit cards that give them access. But outside of the U S I've always had tons of space all to myself. They also vary on quality. And so if you ever get to a lounge in a certain airport and it's overcrowded or it's underwhelming or something, just grab some free food and then I would just go out and find a quiet comfy spot outside of the lounge. But again, when you're traveling internationally, this doesn't really happen while you're waiting in the lounge or at your gate. It's the perfect time to run through your final checklist. That means downloading your entertainment. If you need to charging all your batteries or your power banks and making sure you have a plan for your transportation when you arrive in your destination, because sometimes the wifi doesn't work in different airports, greasy food, salty food, eggs, caffeine, fizzy drinks, and alcohol. All are risky before your flight because gas expands when you're up in your flight. And so if you eat these foods that put gas in your stomach, you might get bloated and uncomfortable on the flight. Also, alcohol and caffeine make you pee more, which makes you more dehydrated, which makes you more likely to get jet lag. If it looks like your flight's going to be full like this one, then I recommend getting in line ASAP to get on the plane, to get space in the overhead bins next to your seat for your luggage. On the other hand, if the flight looks like it's going to be empty, then you could just sit back and relax and wait for the line to die down. There's no need to stand in line for hours. Another thing to set up either in the lounge or at your gate while you're waiting is an E-SIM so that you have data and internet on your phone. When you arrive in your destination and you don't have to rely on the wifi. I compared 10 of the best E-SIM companies and I'll link to my favorite ones below as well as a video on that comparison. This is also your last opportunity to sign up for travel insurance. If you haven't already in a highly, highly, highly recommend doing that because it has saved me tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills over the years. I have a bunch of videos on travel insurance and I'll link those as well. If you're worried that your personal item or carry on is not going to fit in the bin and you're going to get called out on it when you're going through the gate, just make sure to kind of lock it with your body so it doesn't look big. Or if you're with two people kind of hold it down between people just so it doesn't look so noticeable. If you want an upgrade, ask the gate agent if there happens to be any discounts on open seats. You may be able to get a little bit better treatment if you're dressed nicely. If you need cash in the local currency, do not use the foreign exchange stands in the airport. They will rip you off so badly. Instead, use the ATMs. Ideally, if you're able to get a Charles Schwab free checking account, you can withdraw from any ATM worldwide and they'll reimburse you for all your fees. If you need help from the airlines and there's a huge line or there's long hold times for the calls, try to hit them up on social media like Twitter. For example, a lot of them have teams, customer service teams on Twitter. A lot of times they'll try to send you to direct messages to solve your problem. Sometimes this works, but sometimes it's better to keep it public so that other people can see it and then they'll feel pressure to answer. If you need to get to an airport hotel that has a free shuttle, try to see if there are other hotels that are all grouped together and then just choose whichever shuttle arrives fastest. Don't forget to pack the right things in your personal item, fanny pack and vest that you're actually going to need to use during your flight because there are certain small items that will make your flight way more comfortable, even if you're stuck in economy like I just was. And I cover all of those things in this video. So please, please, please don't forget them. Love you. See you. I need to go eat some tacos now and sleep. Bye-bye.